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The Click

June 16 - 22

by Brian Hanson, Jun 16th 2007

Hi again, welcome to The Click, there is anime on TV this week, and my job is to tell you about it in as jocular way as possible, so let's get down to business since my air conditioning is busted and I feel like I'm about to melt into an incredibly handsome and dapper puddle.

First, though, let me alleviate certain allegations that have sprung up recently about my proclivity to be utterly, irreparably wrong in regards to most things. And by that I mean, allow me to publicly and profusely apologize for certain claims made in the past The Clicks which have not held up to any scrutiny:

- Ghost in the Shell: Solid State Society is not, as I indicated last week, a "compilation feature" comprised of mostly animation from the first TV series. It is, in fact, an entirely original feature-length production. I had merely gotten it confused with an earlier announcement that the original Stand Alone Complex's "Laughing Man" arc would be condensed into a feature-length special.

- Remi, the classic anime series currently being run on ImaginAsianTV's risky but admirable "TMS Anime Classics" block, was never a part of World Masterpiece Theater. A remake of the original series, produced about 10 years ago, however, was . Hence the confusion.

- Lieutenant Dominic in the series Eureka 7 was actually introduced around episode 10 of said series, and not in episode 29 as I mistakenly alluded to in last week's column.

- Sadly, the Digimon series never once had an entire 10 minute gay sex scene animated, dubbed, and then cut at the last second.

- Despite numerous, drunken party anecdotes to the contrary, I have never received sagely advice from Bill Cosby during a fever dream to invade the republic of Congo and incite revolution.

- Apologies as well to the families and friends of the victims of the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster; it was a mistake to openly admit to causing the disaster through the sheer power of my telekinetic abilities.

Feels good to get that off my conscience. Say, have I mentioned that I was once on tour with The Buzzcocks? Or that I got kicked out of X for stabbing their drummer in the chest with a broken bottle, and then puking on him?

Inuyasha the Movie 4: Fire on the Mystic Island
(YTV)Friday June 22 9:00pm

The especially noteworthy additions to this week's television lineup happen to be in Canada for this week; Inuyasha makes his final stop in the country in the form of his fourth movie, which, don't get me wrong here, isn't especially great, but considering the lackluster quality of most long-running anime series turned movies (Naruto), "quite watchable" is indeed a compliment. What is great though, are the back-to-back series finale of both Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo. Both are exciting, dramatic, action-packed, and leave the viewer with just a hint of unresolved questions to leave them aching, physically aching, for more. Which probably won't happen, ever, considering statements made by the series' director, Shinichiro Watanabe, content with pursuing other projects. Unless that long-standing rumor about Adult Swim head honcho Mike Lazzo attempting to court studio Sunrise to produce more Bebop actually comes true, which it probably won't.

Sad news for Canadian Bleach fans, as my warnings that new episodes might be postponed in favor of more reruns came horrifically true. Though honestly, I would hesitate a bit to make a nation of hockey fans even mildly upset - I've seen that Law & Order episode about pee-wee hockey enough to know that hockey has a dangerous and deadly effect on the human mind. This week on Bleach, in America, the stoic and gargantuan Chad steals the limelight, as he delves into the secrets of his power while fighting the 8th Squad Captain, Kyoraku.

Saya, our pubescent heroine, would probably rather be doing things average 14 year old girls do, such as read Teen Beat and listen to Maroon 5, but sadly, she's the latest incarnation of a vampire warrior-person, so that lifestyle is out. This week, she and her friends are held captive in an experimental farm in the middle of the Vietnam jungle, and the sweet smell of blood drives her inner vampire to the point of madness. Fun!

Bo-bobo and his friends take a tour of the Great Redwood Forest in California, and learn six helpful tips to save the environment! Later, they make Soapbox Derby cars out of rotten onions and ride them to Rod Steiger's house.

No, I really don't like dog food. Thanks, though. Anyway, Tsukasa Hojo's forgotten campy classic about three curvaceous sisters and their thieving exploits wraps up this week, as ImaginAsianTV seems to be running their "TMS Anime Classics" in 10-episode blocks, for some reason.

Sky pirate Cou learns the truth about Viro, who is tied between her intense feelings for Cou and her mission... to kill him! Later, the Gobbledygook Bananalingading strikes a chord with the Hossenfefferification Woof-Nook.

The hard-to-figure-out-how-to-pronounce Re-I encounters one of those mystical "phantoms" or whatever, and when her friends and family refuse to believe her, the young, gothic lass strikes out on her own to discover the truth!

Now that Renton has been re-established as a Gekkostate member, the spunky lad becomes curious about Eureka's elusive past, and prods the other Gekkostate members for information. There, he learns more about himself, his grandfather, Eureka, the Nirvash, Holland, particle physics, and tort reform.

Part of being a king, a demon one notwithstanding, is learning to cope with numerous people wishing to take your life for various political reasons. Yuri, our protagonist, does so with compassion, when a young girl posing as his illegitimate child attempts, and fails of course, to assassinate our erstwhile king. He then attempts to look after his attempted murderer, but what secrets does she hold? (Plenty, I would bet.)

The Law of Ueki
(ImaginAsianTV)Tuesday June 19 6:00pm - Episode 21 "The Law of Seiichiro Sano" (Repeats Tue June 19 9:00pm, Wed June 20 1:30am, 1:00pm)

Now here's something you don't see everyday, aside from the hit Disney Channel musical event "Jump In!" - a Rope-Jumping battle, between Ueki and the titular Seichiro Sano. I, personally, can't wait for the epic Hop-Scotch battle, or the battle to determine who can jump the farthest from the swing set.

Now this is just unfair. G4TechTV Canada gets a second season of dubbed Lupin III antics, while Adult Swim is content to re-air their initial order of 25 episodes into oblivion? They obviously can't be terribly expensive, Lupin's lukewarm ratings notwithstanding. What gives? I suppose your Northern viewers can doff your Royal Mounted Police caps and enjoy while Lupin searches for a viking treasure, lies low in prison to avoid a skilled assassin, fights for an ancient royal crown, and other priceless artifacts and ribald escapades.

MAR
(YTV)Friday June 22 7:00pm - Episode 4 "Lost and Found Babbo"

Ginta feels the pangs of homesickness, and learns from his weapon (with a handsome and swarthy mustache), Babbo, that he must seek the "Dimension ARM" that had originally brought him to the world of MAR. Jack and his trusty Battle Shovel joins up for the ride, and then more stuff happens!

The disconcertingly buxom Tsunade makes a bet with an enraged Naruto, challenging our favorite Ninja cadet that if he should master his newest move, the destructive "Rasengan," in one week, she'll give him her treasured "Necklace of Death." I can't foresee why anyone would really want a so-called "Necklace of Death," but that's animation for you.

(YTV)Friday June 22 8:00pm - Episode 86 "A New Training Begins: I Will Be Strong"

Five weeks ago in the US, we saw this episode, wherein Jiraiya demonstrates to Naruto a powerful new Jutsu - the "Rasengan." What carefree, bygone times those were, five weeks ago!

One Piece
(Cartoon Network)Saturday June 16 10:30pm - Episode 93 "The Bomb in the Belfry"

I suppose while whiling away the days until August, wherein new, Funimation-produced One Piece will be available, one could stare in abject horror at the last of 4Kids' hastily produced One Piece episodes. This one has Luffy continuing to fight Crocodile, while Vivi and her trusty companion, Pell, attempt to disarm a bomb! With lots of puns and bad jokes and cloying music.

Yep, it's another five episodes of Nobuo Uematu's love-conquers-all robots-in-space story, missing in action from US shelves since U.S. Renditions bit the dust almost fifteen years ago. As featured on "This Week in the 80's: Part 152" on VH1!

I have to confess that I not only know what a Buneary is, but that I've actually caught one, being fully immersed in the gotta-catch-'em-all madness that is Pokemon Pearl. What's more daunting is that Pokemon is rapidly approaching 500 - five-freakin'-hundred episodes dubbed in the US. That's small potatoes compared to some of the anime behemoths still running in Japan, such as Sazae-san or Doraemon, but still.

Have I mentioned before that anyone with ImaginAsianTV should be required by anime fan law to watch all of their TMS Classics? Especially since all three of them will be launching into repeats this week. And who doesn't want to watch a French orphan make friends in the beautiful European countryside?

The put-upon Souichiro Nagi and his friend, Bob, continue their assault against their new schoolmates, which all culminates in both a hilarious defeat and a marriage proposal. Which is just like how schoolyard fights in real life end up.

Zatch and co. meet up with Pamoon, a kind mamodo who is forced against his will to do the bidding of the wicked Zofis. But, isn't working in complicity for an evil despot in itself somewhat evil? Have the Nuremberg trials taught us nothing? Not that such subtlety will permeate a children's series about superpowered little demons, but nonetheless.

Howl's Moving Castle tends to re-appear at whim on various networks every other week, so this isn't a surprise. But just in case you're an anime fan who has been living on an oil barge in Alaska for the past two years - Howl's Moving Castle is a really good movie! Not Miyazaki's best, obviously, but still damn wonderful!

Pokemon 3: The Movie
(Cartoon Network)Tuesday June 19 11:00am

Pokemon 3 was released in theaters around the time that most pop-culture theologians had dismissed the series as a passing fad, and its mediocre box-office take was provided as evidence. It still made more money than both Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke combined, for whatever that's worth.

Another week, another ho-hum selection of repeat offenders make their mark on Encore Action. Not that either of them are particularly egregious - especially the ponderous Jin-Roh - but a little variety is, as they say, the seasoning of life.

That'll be all for the witty repartee for the week, though I'll be back next week for more stories about how I totally invented Punk Rock, raided Tutankhamen's Tomb, and filmed the iconic Hindenburg explosion!

Pokemon Sun and Moon introduced a brand new visual style to the franchise that's left fans divided! Callum May explains how and why Pokemon's style has shifted so much over the years.― The anime industry is constantly changing. In the past 20 years, we've seen new studios rise and old guards fall, we've lost extraordinary veteran talents and welcomed new hopeful faces, we've seen entirely new ways o...

One of the most beloved seasons in this classic anime is finally available to own with a brand-new dub! Rebecca Silverman explores how well Sailor Moon S holds up after all these years.― Sailor Moon S is hailed as one of the best seasons of the five-season series, and even just from the first few episodes, you can see why. Unlike its predecessors, Sailor Moon S gets right down to business introducin...

It's Dark Souls by way of creative powderkeg Suda 51, and Dustin has strapped in for a weird, bloody ride. PLUS: Death Stranding, Final Fantasy XV, Super Mario Run and much more!― It's the end of the year, and that means it's time for game releases to start winding down—but don't worry, January is already packed. There's only one release of any note this week, but don't think the lack of new games m...

This unusual historical fantasy anime might have gotten lost in the shuffle of bigger titles over time, but it's still one of a kind today. Theron Martin explores just what makes this series special.― Maria the Virgin Witch is a remarkable series in many respects. It's nearly as raunchy as a high-end fanservice anime – even being assigned a TV-MA rating despite not having any detailed nudity – and y...

Like this season's Izetta: The Last Witch, historical fiction anime plays fast and loose with real events to spin some fantastic yarns that nevertheless teach us plenty about real history!― Though it has never been a dominant anime genre, historical fiction has nevertheless persisted in anime since its earliest days. These days hardly a season goes by without some new interpretation(s) of Sengoku-er...

The extras are insightful in this new release of Summer Wars, even if the story may not hold up the way it once did. Rebecca Silverman offers her take on Mamoru Hosoda's breakout film.― Time is the greatest test of any work. Poems written by Heian era women over a thousand years ago are still intimately relatable to modern readers, novels by men in the 19th century still have a lot to say about soci...

Monster Musume is a very, very naughty manga. When you've got a harem interspecies comedy where the girls are half-snake, half-horse or half-slime mould, the sexy permutations are pretty much infinite. Below, we've nominated our seven favourite guilty pleasures from Monster Musume's early chapters. Warning: the following scenes contain acts which some people may find unnatural... 1 – Monster Musu...

Keijo!!!!!!!! shoots up the charts and Sound! Euphonium 2 retakes the top spot in our weekly user rankings! See how your favorite shows performed!― Our team of reviewers are following 27 anime series of the Fall 2016 season and readers are rating each episode as the reviews go up. So let's have a look at what ANN readers consider the best (and worst) of the season. Keep in mind that these rankings ...

After a decade in development, the latest entry in the Final Fantasy franchise is finally here! Dustin Bailey has the lowdown on this bishounen-packed road trip.― Every time you boot up Final Fantasy XV, it presents you with a message, calling itself a “Final Fantasy for fans and first timers.” The series' disconnected chronology has always favored reinvention, but this one takes that that further t...

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